Looking Back on the July 3-10, 2022 Harmonizer Time at the BHS International Convention in Charlotte NC
The gold medal chorus at the convention sang out in a loud intro – “We Are Back!” with emphasis on singing barbershop together. And that is our story too!
A great success story of team work: coping with COVID, terrific work by members on their own, great support of family and friends, two fantastic arrangements, a fabulous front row with six tap dancers, an active music team, and a huge infusion of new talent with the Class of 2022! It all brought the Alexandria Harmonizers back “into the medals” for a third place finish in Charlotte, NC.
The chorus sang on Friday July 8th but had to wait until the final round of choruses sang on Saturday for the results to be announced. The Harmonizer score was 2788 – 92.9 % (all of the Harmonizer scores were in the 90s). There were 37 choruses in this year’s contest – six were mixed voices and one was treble voices. There were 68 on the risers for the Harmonizers and only a few other choruses had 80 or 90, most were under 35. Nashville won gold for the first time over the Ambassadors of Harmony who were second; fourth was Parkside Harmony (Hershey) and fifth was Central Standard.
Artistic director Joe Cerutti was emotional when the chorus came off the stage and happy to finally have the experience that the best performance was on the stage – not back in the dressing room! He thanked the music team and crew for strong efforts to prepare the chorus: associate director Tony Colosimo; admin officer for the music team, Terry Reynolds; the section leaders. Randy Lazear, Tessa Walker, Ben Watsky, Jason Lee, Lance Fisher, David Breen, Ryan Mextorf; front row captain, Bruce Roehm; choreo coach, Turner Arndt; and uniform manager, Robyn Murane. In addition he thanked choreographer and coach, Cy Wood; retreat coaches Jim Henry and Dave McEachern; David Wright who arranged “Oh What A Beautiful Mornin;” Kevin Keller who arranged “42nd Street;” and chapter friend and fellow Harmonizer, Chuck Hunter, who added great meaning to the songs for the singers.
Craig Kujawa earned the praise and thanks of all the Harmonizers for his support as contest coordinator for the chapter. His regular publications, Queen City Count Down, were informative and helped everyone make their plans for going to NC as well as to the pre-contest retreat in June. He helped members get contest photos, make room reservations, buy convention tickets and participant t-shirts; and even helped guys order gift cards to use in paying their hotel bill at the Marriott City Center (which earned the chapter extra income in the chapter’s scrip program). Craigworked with Adam Afifi back home in Virginia prior to everyone traveling to NC to produce the annual member convention handbook with input from Chris and Dixie Buechler.
The COVID team, headed by Jason Lee with Steve White, Randall Eliason, Noah Van Gilder, Chris Huber, Stan Quick, and Frank Shipp, worked hard to keep the chorus safe and eligible to sing and travel and eventually to perform on stage without masks – the whole chorus tested negative on Thursday and they rehearsed and performed from that time on without masks indoors for the first time in months. (It is fair to report that a large number of our members tested positive after they returned to Virginia.)
The following members who had never competed on stage at an International contest with the Harmonizers make up the Class of 2022: Turner Arndt, Scott Beach, Michael Berkson, Jacob Broude, Tyler Carpenter, Lance Fisher, Devin Gerzof, Ryan Mextorf, Josh Myers, Duncan Peacock, David Breen, Michael Pugh, Frank Shipp, John Sifuentes, and Ben Watsky. Class-member Tessa Walker did not sing with the chorus but was present and sang with her quartet, HOT PURSUIT, on the Saturday night finale.
In addition to this list, the six members of 17th Street Dance group of the Washington DC Gay Men’s Chorus who appeared in Charlotte with the chorus are considered members of the class as well: Danny Aldous, Sean Cator, James Elzy, Jeffrey Holland, Cole Jaconski and Darryl Pilate.
BUT we must also recognize the fantastic success of chapter quartets in Charlotte! FIRST TAKE with Alex Courson, Tony Colosimo, Drew Wheaton and Andrew Havens took a fifth place medal in the contest! It has been years since both the chorus and a quartet medaled from our chapter in the same year!
Cy Wood sang with HALF AND HALF in the semi-finals round as did former member Sean Devine in TROWBACK. Former members Spencer Wight sang with MADHATTEN and Will Daniel Simmons sang with SECRET BEST FRIENDS in the quarter-final round. Earlier in the week, Tony and Andrew sang with their wives, Elizabeth and Heather, in BETTER TOGETHER as mic testers for the first quartet session.
The gold medal quartet was QUORUM from Ohio. A big WOW to learn that there were six quartets in the top ten from our own Mid Atlantic District (MAD): MIDTOWN was second, THROWBACK was third (you gotta count them as two members are from Hershey), GQ was fourth, FIRST TAKE was fifth, GIMME FOUR was seventh, and ROUND MIDNIGHT was ninth. Great to see quartets that have helped us staff our youth events in Alexandria be on that list – GQ and GIMME FOUR.
This is good place in the story to also cheer for the success of choruses from MAD in the contest – Alexandria, third; Parkside Harmony from Hershey, fourth; GOTHAM, a mixed voices chorus, eighth, Parkside Melody treble chorus from Hershey, tenth; and East Coast Sound from NJ, eleventh! Some of our new members also sang with other choruses in the contest: David Breen and Lance Fisher sang with Parkside Harmony; and David, Lance, Michael Berkson and Josh Myers sang with East Coast Sound.
Also during the convention there was the Next Generation quartet contest for singers age 27 and younger. New Harmonizer Lance Fisher sang with JEFFERSON PLAID TIE and they tied for first place with CLEMENTONES from Denmark and the Society of Nordic Barbershop Singers (SNOBS). The tie was broken by the singing score and so Lance got a second place medal with his pals Francesco Logozzo, Nick Ruiz and Cay Outerbridge.
Also singing in that contest were Michael Berkson in NEW SOCKS (appropriately they wore no socks on stage); Donell Torres in ON THE WIRE (he recently redid our chapter website); and Julian LaFlore and all the guys in THE QUIN-TONES who are frequent visitors at our chapter meetings.
The first Harmonizer meeting at convention took place on Tuesday night at 8:30 pm. So great to see every one of the contest chorus on the risers for this session (often we don’t all make the first session) – and that was a lucky break this year with I-95 traffic, rain, and airline stoppages. Everyone had self-tested for COVID before heading to Charlotte and was negative.
The riser crew had done their work early and unloaded the Harmo truck with risers and sound equipment. Thanks to Doug White and Don Thompson who were our drivers. (The rest of that story is that a lady ran into our truck near the hotel, did significant damage that was not fixed in time to take everything back on Sunday – so Doug and Don have a road trip ahead of them to go get the truck when it is repaired.)
We had a little problem hearing in the room that evening as another chorus was also on the other side of those thin hotel ballroom walls singing their hearts out too! But director Joe managed – with a few laughs of frustration. Associate director Tony Colosimo did the warm up session. Craig and Terry made announcements that were needed for guys to use in planning their convention week.
The second rehearsal was on Wednesday at 2:45 pm. The sound was great this time and Tony did the warm up session. Robyn Murane was already busy helping guys with last minute uniform matters. Jim Henry and his wife were there and he was pleased with the progress since retreat. He offered a few great comments too before scooting out. And Jimgot to witness this year’s joke to surprise Joe – at a certain point in the rehearsal, they all started singing the tag and tossed the colored dots in the air and pasted some of them on Joe’s new BHS sport coat. He was shocked as usual. When Joe asked Jim if the AOH did that to him, he said something like – “they better not!”
By the way, the colored dots have been used all during COVID to indicate where guys could stand to be safely distanced. It was also good to get rid of them.
Our Class of 2022 had to have a bandana check – three guys had forgotten theirs. So the three all sang “I’m A Little Tea Pot” together. Our dancer guys wore their bandanas too all week. (Thanks to Tyler and Cody Carpenter for making this year’s fancy bandanas with the logo and year embroidered on them.). The bandanas for the new class to wear at every Harmo event leading up to the contest stage is one that has been around every year as a long-standing tradition.
Katy Dane was a special guest at this session, having been named 2022 recipient of the Music Educator Award by the National Association for Music Education. Other guests include Jim Lake and Tom Gannon, both former active members.
Cy and his quartet came in and sang for us and he worked with the chorus a bit. The chapter did recognize JEFFERSON PLAID TIE and NEW SOCKS and wished them the best for the Next Generation quartet contest.
The convention team asked men to post their hotel room numbers on a list on the back table – and as could be expected, family fans of the chorus put personal notes of encouragement and support under the door of each singer before the contest on Friday night.
The Thursday 1 pm rehearsal time was well used. Everyone had tested negative and the room was closed to non-singers. When Lance arrived, there were big cheers for his quartet success. And when the dancers arrived from DC, there were more cheers. They had driven in from DC that morning.
Joe announced the plan “to take the risers on your own time and style – check out the stage, the lights, see how big the hall is.” This is a big change for us versus walking in by riser rows. Many guys commented they liked it and that it helped them be relaxed.
Coaches Cy Wood, David McEachern and Chuck Hunter all were present for some time to offer help for the chorus in this session.
Friday morning was an exciting day with the traditional Togetherness breakfast in our rehearsal room in the hotel. Contest chairman Craig invited guests to the buffet line by table. It was good food and a full house. From a reserved table came the speakers for the morning after a welcome by chapter president Noah Van Gilder. Class of 2022 president Michael Pugh pledged that his classmates will continue to bring new members into the chapter. (His classmates started a cheer of “four-more-years.”)
Dave Reyno provided a cancelled postage stamp in honor of the convention being in Charlotte. Each singer was given one. Other guests at the breakfast included family members and friends from home. Treasurer Al Herman was there as was Greg Tepe from Amsterdam (he is due back in the DC area before long). Susan Fitzpatrick, chapter general manager, attended too.
Chris Huber spoke about his 25-year membership of friendships and family with the Harmonizers. He paid tribute to some of the men who have gone on before us. He complimented the Class of 2022 for their talent and work ethic and leadership within the chapter already.
Chuck Hunter spoke again about the poetry and important message the chorus will deliver from the stage in “a Breathless Moment” on a Beautiful Day.” Chapter friend and BHS public relations staffer, Brian Lynch, stopped by from his own chorus rehearsal to give a shout of good wishes – “all of the Society is looking at you.” Cy Wood too stopped in for a brief visit and we sang Happy Birthday to him. He spoke from his heart about the welcome he has received from the Harmonizers!
At the end, Joe spoke to express his many appreciations, and he shared a message he received from former chorus coach and good friend Cindy Hansen. In short, today is a milestone on a long journey.
After the breakfast guests left, the chorus worked on their package until noon. Then they changed into their blue suit pants, white shirts, orange tie and blue vest. The front row guys all wore orange colored socks too! At 1 pm they reassembled in the room to finalize.
The traditional taking the risers in order of longest singing Harmonizers was held. There are three guys in the first class from 1978 – Rick Savage, Randy Lazear and Steve White. The bandanas can go away! It is special moment in the Harmonizer year!
The chorus rode busses to the contest venue, Spectrum Center, and after going thru backstage, took their place on the risers and blasted a wonderful performance for all to see and hear! They earned standing ovations for both the ballad and the uptune. People cheered and screamed forever.
That evening, the chorus met back in our rehearsal hall to be joined by the Bloomington, IL, Sounds of Illinois chorus. They know Joe as a coach and Zoom instructor, and wanted to see and hear our package up close and personal (since they were in the competitor queue and didn’t hear us). We sang tags, and old songs and when everyone got there (through a hard rain storm) each chorus performed their package for the other.
After the chorus contest ended on Saturday afternoon, the Harmonizers waited in Section 104 (no matter where you were sitting, you came back to be with your fellow singers). And when the Alexandria Harmonizers was named third place, there was great bedlam all around Section 104. Tears of joy and hugs of fellowship continued out into the lobby.
It didn’t take long for everyone to find their way back to the rehearsal space in our hotel (thankfully the chapter had implemented a notification system that went to each person’s cell phone to alert them as to time and place for events like the medal distribution system). Of Course, Terry had a list of the singers and Joe presented each member his medal after a big bear hug. Everyone cheered and applauded when he spoke about the pride of current singers standing on the shoulders of those men who have done it all before!
Then it was back to the contest venue for quartets. Because of COVID infections, Joe was pressed into service to judge the semi-final and final rounds of the quartet contest in the music category. He looked sharp in his tux he rented that Saturday to join the fellow judges.
Actually before the finals began there was a show of the newly crowned chorus champ, Nashville, Music City Chorus; the Next Generation champ; and the singing of the Canadian and American National Anthems.
After the top ten quartets sang, there was a finale with HOT PURSUIT, and BROUHAHA quartets and the swan song of SIGNATURE quartet that won back in 2019! They are the longest reigning champ ever (thanks to COVID)!
The quartet medalists were announced in a major ceremony with former gold medal quartets passing on the medal to the new guys.
All week long there were visits with former and current Harmonizers from the 5,000 plus convention attendees. Past M-AD president Bob Eckman stopped by a rehearsal session to present a token financial gift to the chapter and to FIRST TAKE from the district. Chapter general manager, Susan Fitspatrick, was on hand for the Togetherness Breakfast and the chorus performance on Friday. John Santora stopped by after having been elected as incoming Society president, to wish his Harmo friends good wishes. Craig Odell and his wife were at every rehearsal along with wives of several members and Jim McConnell and his wife. Former member Chris Yates stopped by between his Hershey chorus rehearsals as did T J Donahue who sings in the Denver Timberliners mixed chorus now. Tim Waurick who has made many of the learning tapes for our chorus came to listen on Tuesday too.
Chris Buechler attended meetings as a Society contest and judging committee member and worked with the judging panel to review new software for the judging results and produced the official score sheets. Steve Tramack, Alan Lamson and Mike Louque are former members who served on judging panels during the week. Several family members were volunteers during the week stationed where ever needed – YeEd knows that Don Harrington’s wife volunteered, as did Dixie Kennett and Dave Reyno. A couple members were given their 50-year membership pin at a special meal function during the week including Chuck Hunter and Mike Wallen.
Former members Jay Butterfield and Pookie Dingle sang in the Palmetto Vocal Project chorus for the contest; Paul Wietlisback sang with Nashville; Donelle Torres sang with the Recruits Chorus and the Ambassadors.
Proud too that Tony Colosimo and Tessa Walker directed the Mass Sing at the convention during the week.
Former member Keith Jones and Dixie reported a list of former and current members seen in Charlotte that are not mentioned above: Ken Potter, John Rettenmeyer, Dave Wilt, Sam McFarland, Glenn Williamson, Bill Colosimo, Dan Cook, Rick Taylor, Bob Rhome, Steve Matuszewski, Don Poland, Jake Fry, and Matt Odell.
President Noah Van Gilder said it well in his letter to all the members just as we were getting home from NC – “Now more than ever, It’s Great to Be a Harmonizer!”
Until next time – editorjack!
(This message is prepared for your review if you were there, for your information if you had to miss, and as a historical record for the great things going on during the 74th year of the Alexandria Harmonizer Chapter. - YeEd)
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